Reforming the educational systems of the former Soviet Union - UNICA

students and institutions of higher education has grown. In 2004 the country had a
total of 304,000 students with approximately 240,000 or 4/5 enrolled at state
institutions. During the same period the number of institutions of higher education has
grown from 33 to 43, including 31 state and 12 non-state (private) institutions.
In 1996 there were as many as 20 private institutions of higher education in
Belarus. Since then the State has tightened its control over the higher education and
today there are only 12 private institutions in Belarus. The latest private institution to
close was the European Humanities University in 2004. Its activities were allegedly
terminated due to the lack of adequate spacing. According to other sources the
authorities closed the university as a result of its close ties to the West and
outspoken critique of the rule of President Alexander Lukashenka. Soon after the
closure of the European Humanities University a new state university was
established in the town of Baranavichy: The Baranavichy State University. State
institutions offer academic programs in all fields of study, whereas the remaining nonstate
institutions are limited to offering programs in the fields of humanities and social
sciences.
Approximately 20-50 % of the students at state institutions are eligible for
grants, loans, and tuition-waivers – the rest have to pay tuition costs at a minimum of
600 USD per year. (Prestigious universities in Minsk may charge up to USD 2000 per
year.) Non-state institutions only admit fee-paying students. The basis for quality
assurance in Belarusian higher education is the three processes called licensing,
attestation and accreditation (see Kazakhstan above).
Keeping the Soviet degree structure intact
The current degree structure in Belarus is in many respects a modified version of the
Soviet system of higher education with traditional 5-year (in some cases 4 or 6 year)
programs leading to a Specialist degree [Диплом специалиста (Russian)/Дыплом
спецыяліста (Belrusian)]. The Specialist degree is the most common form of degree
and usually requires passing two state exams and a written thesis. The first two years
in the degree program focus on general subjects.
In addition to the Specialist degrees the Belarusian authorities have
experimented with the Western-style Bachelor’s [Диплом бакалавра
(Russian)/Дыплом бакалаўра (Belarusian)] and Master’s degrees [Диплом
магистра (Russian)/Дыплом магістра (Belarusian)]. The Belarusian Degree of
Bachelor was introduced at some elite institutions in Minsk (e.g. Belarusian State
University, Minsk State Linguistic University etc.) during the late 90s. The most
promising students in 4-5 year Specialist program are offered the possibility to pursue
a Bachelor’s degree by taking additional courses of 300-500 hours. Students of these
programs graduate with both a Specialist and a Bachelor’s degree. The Bachelor’s
degree serves no purpose on the Belarusian labor market, yet is awarded with the
objective of facilitating for Belarusian students going abroad and may in some cases
be a prerequisite for admission to Master’s degree programs and/or doctoral studies.
Only 5 % of all students graduate from Bachelor’s degree programs.
The Belarusian Master’s degree takes 1-2 years to complete and
requires a thesis. This form of degree is also uncommon and only 1 % of the students
pursue Master’s degree programs. The doctoral level, furthermore, has not been
affected by reform; the Soviet era Candidate of Science [Кандидат наук
(Russian)/Кандыдат навук (Belarusian)] and Doctor of Science [Доктор наук
(Russian)/Дактарант навук (Belarusian)] degrees still exist. Belarus is the only
European country that does not participate in the Bologna Process.
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